


Fate is a Mysterious Idea

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Best Friends, Bisexual Gwaine (Merlin), Bottom Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Childhood Friends, Dreams, Drunken Shenanigans, Eventual Relationships, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Romance, Roommates, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, camelot university
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-09-07 16:09:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20312305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Merlin recently transferred to Camelot University to put his overwhelming list of expulsions behind him, but there are a lot of things he's going to have to learn to get through the year- one of them being that Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table don't take lightly to humiliation. Especially Arthur...NO LONGER BEING UPDATED (sorry)*＊✿❀ i don't own merlin or any of the characters shown in this story  ❀✿＊*





	1. The meeting

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my merthur university au. seeing as i finished the show about a month ago and am only just suffering from PMD (post-merlin depression), i decided to write this as all the characters just fit so perfectly. i love the merlin fandom so much. i got way too into the idea and made boards just so i got a better feel of the characters- i'll post one of them per chapter till i run out i guess. i really appreciate comments so go ahead. i update like once every 1½ weeks (i know that makes no sense but oh well).
> 
> i am also cross posting this on wattpad @ https://my.w.tt/hG70wmTzhZ so if you're on there i'd appreciate the votes.

Merlin flashed his hall pass at the teacher walking towards him as he made his way to the bathroom for maybe the 3rd time that day. Camelot university was boring enough as it was- it didn't need triple math on a Wednesday to help. He was basically a pro when it came to skiving, he'd been avoiding lectures so often he was quite sure most teachers didn't even know him. Actually- scratch that, he was quite sure most people didn't even know him. In his mind that was the best way for things to be. When he had first transferred here he was already carrying enough of a bad rep from his previous universities and colleges. It was becoming increasingly difficult to switch constantly as less and less universities were willing to accept him. Yet for whatever reason, Camelot welcomed him with open arms and shining eyes. They acted like it was because they were accepting of all candidates no matter their history, but Merlin was 99% sure they wanted him for his 'exemplary' grades. His mother had passive-aggressively told him to behave himself as he attempted to escape her lovingly painful grasp and get onto the train. His continued expulsions were building up and he assumed this was his last chance. 

Once he reached the bathroom he pulled out his phone and prepared to waste an hour playing games. Somehow, he hadn't been caught yet and until then this plan was fool proof; especially since it didn't affect his grades. As a child he was always praised by his teachers for his work in tests and lessons but they always would complain about how he was 'hot-headed' or 'disinterested' or in one case 'overtly negative'. Like what the fuck is that supposed to mean? Either way he was sure he could get past not giving a shit at some point and actually put his head down to get through one year without a visit to his parents or a suspension or a ban from the art block (don't ask). It had been maybe 30 minutes when, as expected, Arthur and his group of assholes waltzed in to disturb the peace of the male bathroom. They liked to call themselves 'The Knights of the Round Table'. Merlin thought it was extremely cringe-worthy and exceptionally stupid but who could tell them that? According to his knowledge, 'The Knights of the Round Table' consisted of 5 students:

Gwaine Heralden, the school lover boy and class clown, has probably broken every single girl's (and boy's) heart ever- and that's an understatement, well known to be Arthur's right hand man (the two are basically inseparable), went to the same secondary school as Merlin but they 'unfortunately drifted apart', probably- definitely will be some kind of sports super star in the future.

Elyan Kauffman, delinquent, has never turned up to a lecture ever (and wouldn't be seen dead doing so), not actually that bad but he still has a few of the qualities you'd expect from your average arrogant twat, B+ student (still the highest grade of the entire group), has a magnetic personality, shares a dorm with Guinevere- his sister (somehow!?!?), teachers HATE him because he ruins every study session he attends- one time he wrote on the board that there was a £10 note hidden somewhere in the room, there wasn't, and watched as the class descended into chaos attempting to find it.

Percival Everstark, stone cold in both comebacks and appearance (how is he that ripped?), could be your enemy or your best friend, not exactly the brightest person ever, actually not as extroverted as he seems, likes to keep to himself and really appreciates the Knights company, not afraid to let you know how he feels upfront, shares a dorm with Gwaine, the height of dark humour.

Leon Brolen, school president and representative of everything, doesn't seem like he fits into the Knights at first glance but think about it- they're the highest ranking group of Camelot, of course they're going to have the leader of the student council in their group, seemingly bubbly but if you mess with him there's hell to pay, his demeanor cannot be dented, sassy as fuck, kind of like a gay best friend stereotype but not gay + without the stupid accent.

And of course- the ringleader- Arthur Pendragon, doesn't share a dorm with anyone as his overbearing father believes it'll be distracting to his education, a physical embodiment of the 'my dad wants be to be as successful as him but I don't want that career path' trope, is rich and makes sure everyone knows it constantly (probably a defence mechanism but what is it to Merlin?), one of the sporty kids, C+ grade guy, somewhat condescending and unlikeable yet (annoyingly) people love to surround him regardless, he's somewhat of a dick and Merlin somewhat hates him.  
Anyway, now that the brief introduction is through, we can get back to how Merlin is wondering how to escape the bathroom without a confrontation. He knows as soon as he walks out there they'll start staring and remarking and he really doesn't have the energy to deal with that at this time. He tucks his phone into his pocket and mentally prepares himself to bear whatever hell awaits him beyond the when someone else comes straight through the door with no knowledge of who's inside. Merlin can feel the tension as whoever it is walks fearfully towards him. He doesn't make it to his cubicle though as (maybe Percival?) slams him against the door of the stall beside him. He hears Arthurs voice laughing "Hey Percival- no need to be so violent" then "Hello... whatever your name is, have you anything of worth in that blindingly brightly coloured backpack of yours to give us?" Merlin already had a terrible feeling in his gut at Arthurs words so when he hears the voice of the poor soul against the door speaking above them, he immediately pushes himself out of the cubicle with a concerned expression on his face seeing as the voice is unmistakably that of his best friend and room-mate, Lancelot de Talet. At their first meeting Merlin had assumed he could never get to know such a kind and eccentric guy especially since it seemed his entire wardrobe had no specific colour while Merlin’s was entirely black. It was as though they were opposites brought together like magnets since they immediately hit it off and are now the 'fucking human recollection of BROTP' in Lancelot’s assumedly drunken words. He studied English and Classics which meant he was never not fun to be around. So, as usual, Merlin would have to save his best friends pastel themed ass.

He had only a few seconds till the initial shock of him having been hiding in the bathroom subsided so he took the time to grab hold of Lancelot and pull him from (Yeah it was Percival)'s loose grip. Once Lancelot was behind him the Knights turned to Arthur for their next move; Merlin looked around, quickly assessing the situation before deciding that making a run for it was their best chance at survival. He squeezed Lancelot’s wrist, conveying all he needed to know in one gesture before pulling him forwards and using his now free hand to hit Percival across the face in a wide swung punch. He reeled and Merlin took this as a gateway to run past him. The men's bathroom on the ground floor was very idiotically made and had toilets lining the pale walls at the back of the rectangular room, then urinals down one side of the walkway and a long wooden bench along the other side with pegs along the top as apparently it was also a make-shift lounging room. Either way, the situation was clear, most of the Knights were seated on the bench and only starting to get up while Lancelot was already 3 steps from the door, Arthur, however, was leaning by a urinal and only had to reach out and grab Merlin’s shirt collar to stop him abruptly and admittedly quite painfully as the cloth pulled against his collar. This action and Merlin’s strangled cry were enough to cause Lancelot to stop running and turn around to check on him, unfortunately that was all the time that was needed for Elyan to grab him from behind and wrap 2 arms around him, one around his arms and waist and the other on his chest, Gwaine backing him up from behind. "Well well well, what have we here Knights?" Arthur smiled and Merlin struggled to escape his hold. "I feel we have a duo of desperado's don't you think?" He spat, addressing his followers as they laughed in turn. "Get the fuck off of me!" Merlin retorted before realising something and slumping completely against Arthur. As he thought, Arthur had been too busy using his strength to hold him there that he hadn't actually steadied himself against anything, this meant that as Merlin leaned backwards into Arthur, Arthur leant backwards into air and immediately lost his balance and his hold on Merlin: he collapsed into the wall just too far behind him. Merlin brushed himself off before turning to him and grabbing his Calvin Klein shirt collar with unexpected strength and pulling him forcefully upwards. They were face to face, so close that their noses almost touched. Celeste eyes with flecks of white staring into azure ones that briefly flashed gold in the light. Arthur had never felt more vulnerable. "Stay the fuck away from me and Lancelot or I swear to God I'll do a lot more than this" He punctuated the 'this' by kneeing him forcefully in the balls before staring into his pain-eyes and letting him slump against the wall with his eye's clamped shut and mouth in a grimace. He turned to the rest of the Knights that looked at him with a range of emotions that mostly consisted of shock, fear, apprehension, anger and disbelief. Merlin let his eyes run over them then turned to Lancelot who was trying desperately not to laugh (he had a habit of doing so in the worse situations) before grabbing his shoulders and steering him out of the door and into the corridor. Lancelot stared at Merlin with wide eyes and a mouth that was slightly ajar. Merlin stared back with slightly less of a shocked expression. The two then took off sprinting down the hall cackling as they heard voices stirring from the inside of the male bathroom.


	2. Guinevere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Lancelot talk a bit and a new character is introduced + Arthurs having a bit of a hard time coping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello this is chapter 2, i thought i'd take a lot longer to write each chapter but turns out i dont so this will (hopefully) be updated once a week.

"What. The. Fuck." Lancelot exclaimed, out of breath, as they slipped into the janitor's closet on the 2nd floor- it was made their meeting room in case predicaments, such as this happened. "Lancelot shut the hell up, you're being so loud and we don't even know if they followed us." Merlin struggled to get comfortable, as the broom behind him was stabbing him in the back, but Lancelot seemed to have fitted in just fine- a strange power of his. "I know, I know, but you should at least acknowledge the fact that the Knights of the Round Table will now put up a bounty in your name!" He sighed as Merlin ran his hands through his hair, "I can't believe I'm sharing rooms with a convict- OW!" Lancelot glared at Merlin as he rubbed his forearm where he had hit him. "That was unprovoked!"  
"No it wasn't! Stop talking about it ok? I've got enough on my mind, I don't need Arthur up there as well"  
"But you knocked him in the balls!"  
"And?"  
"And??" Lancelot widened his eyes in disbelief.  
"What do you mean, 'And?', first of all you basically saved my life-",  
"Don't be so dramatic!" Merlin powered on, ignoring his comment, "And second of all, you are literally going to become a legend when everyone hears about this-".  
Merlin looked up at him in horror, "When everyone hears about this!? No one is going to be hearing about this!"  
"Merlin. You cannot be serious, us and The Knights were not the only people in that bathroom at the time; how didn't you notice?!"  
Breathing in, Lancelot continued, "They might want to keep it a secret but you know gossip spreads like a disease in this uni-"  
"Who would believe it?"  
"-True or not", he finished.  
Merlin didn't exactly know how to feel. He had made it half a year without confrontation, but that idea was crumbling beneath his feet; he really couldn't risk another expulsion, and that wasn't even the worst part of it. This was one of the only places he felt like he actually had a life at, where he wasn't just a ghost that nobody noticed. He couldn't leave- he just couldn't. Merlin relaxed into Lancelot's hand on his shoulder, "Merlin you do realise this is not going to get you expelled, right?"  
Damn. He could read him like a book- or in Lancelot's case: a comic. "Even if the rumour does spread to the teachers- which is unlikely in itself, seeing as almost everyone here has some kind of underlying distaste for the Knights- that's all it would be. A rumour." Merlin's face visibly lost it's tension and he eventually calmed down. Lancelot smiled and attempted to punch his chest, missing horribly and instead thwacking his collarbone. Merlin hissed and curled in on himself slightly, "Lancelot what the hell I didn't even hit you that hard!" He tried to sound serious, but he was already bursting into fits of laughter with him. They both jerked up and immediately stopped laughing in turn when the door to the closet was thrown open to reveal Guinevere, standing there with an amused expression on her face. "Why is it that when something happens it's always you two?"  
They all got the reference.

"Seeing as you're both avoiding talking about it, I'm going to ask you myself. Why were you two cowering in a closet 30 minutes ago?"  
Merlin and Lancelot glanced at each other; they had made their way to one of the restaurants in the town near Camelot University, as none of them had any work to do till about 4pm that day. Merlin sat on one side of the table while Gwen and Lancelot sat opposite. "Well, Gwen I think... that's an excellent questi-"  
"Merlin kneed Arthur in the dick."  
"LANCELOT!" Merlin turned to him angrily. Gwen's mouth fell open, "Merlin are you insane? Arthur's going to ruin you!"  
"Yes I know, I know, my death is imminent. I've already had an earful from Lancelot, I don't need you going on as well."  
"What actually happened?" She muttered, addressing Lancelot. "Basically, I came into the bathroom- unaware that the Knights had decided to meet there as well- and was immediately apprehended, then suddenly Merlin burst out of the stall beside me and he was like, "'Don't touch my best friend', and then he picked me up- bridal style- and fought off all of the Knights with only one hand free and then he put me down once we were close to the exit and grabbed Arthur by his collar and spat in his face and he threatened him like an assassin or something and Arthur was like, 'No don't hurt me', and Merlin was like, 'Don't worry i won't hurt you. That much', and then Merlin punched him in the stomach and let him fall to the floor, and then he turned to all the Knights and was like 'Don't mess with me bitches', and then he ushered me out of the door, and then there were fireworks and he pulled sunglasses out of his bag and put them on and-",  
"You do know you aren't whispering Lancelot." Merlin grumbled as he inhaled his fries.  
"It's none of your business Merlin can't you see I'm re-enacting our story?"  
Guinevere piped in, "Thank you, Lancelot I think I've heard enough now", Merlin put his face in his hands and rolled his eyes at him before turning to her, "I actually don't care at this point. What's the worst they can do anyway?"  
"The worst they can do!?" Gwen raised her eyebrows at him, "Leon is literally head of the student council he could probably just- oh I don't know- KILL YOU!?"  
"Now you're definitely over-reacting. I'll deal with that when it comes Gwen, you seriously don't have to worry. Now if you excuse me I have a dorm room to get to, so can both of you hurry up?" Lancelot had barely touched his food but knowing that Merlin ate quickly he had already wrapped it up in a plastic bag to take back to campus and stood up with Merlin. Gwen looked up at them with a smile, before picking up her milkshake and joining them.

\- * -

It was already lunch by the time the Knights had gotten themselves together after Merlin's attack. Arthur was sure they wouldn't be seeing him again that day as Leon had checked the door when they left, just to watch them legging it down a corridor. "They're gone," he exhaled, moving to sit next to Percival who was holding a wet paper towel to his face were Merlin had sucker-punched him. Arthur was lost in thought and Gwaine, for once, had no idea why; it wasn't as though people hadn't evaded them before. It wasn't like any of them would ever bring it up again. All of them had had their asses handed to them, so why did Arthur seem all the more solemn? Elyan stood up first in the awkward silence, "I've got to go, Gwen's going to be coming out of her lesson soon and I promised to help her to-", Arthur was already tuning his words out and waved his hand to signal his leave. His mind was focused on one thing, and he really needed time to get it together so he could un-focus it.  
Eventually, he was able to escape the wall of tension that was the Knights. They all split to go their seperate ways and do their seperate things- ("We aren't joined at the hip!")- and Arthur decided that eating his mind into submission was the best way to overcome it (He was overwhelmingly wrong).  
That night, all the lights in the campus were off- or at least they appeared so. Arthur stood pacing back and forth in his dorm room. As soon as Merlin and his friend had cleared off, all the Knights had just stared at him with conflicting expressions on their faces. It had only lasted seconds before Gwaine was walking over to help him up, and they were all talking again but it was long enough. He had never felt more humiliated. Yet his mind kept running back to Merlin slamming him up against the wall. "Stay the fuck away from me and Lancelot-", and he didn't feel embarassment or anger; he had felt something... not unpleasant.  
God he was going insane. He needed to take his revenge on Merlin, not think about his hair, he needed to plot against him, not engrave the image of his lips forming words in his mind. "UGH!" He shouted, as he threw himself backwards onto his red sheets. Whatever this was- he didn't like it one bit.

\- * -

Guinevere woke up that morning to the light from her shared window pouring into the room and hitting her face annoyingly. "Elyannnnnnnnn..." she groaned, turning herself to the opposite side of her bed.  
"Sorry Guin, I've got an early morning lecture today- you shouldn't be sleeping so much anyways," he said as he moved around their dorm gathering his things. "You are so annoying." A pillow hit Elyan in the back as he was leaving through the door. "So we're playing that game are we?", he said abruptly, turning back towards her with a mischievous grin. This grin specifically caused a 10 minute pillow brawl, that ended with Gwen totally awake and Elyan 5 minutes late to his lecture. He sprinted out of the door with a quick bye, and left her to finally get ready at 6am in the morning. She walked over to all the pillows littering the floor and picked them up placing them in their respective places, though when she reached Elyan's bed, she found a small picture underneath his pillow.  
It was of the Knights. All of them laughing and pushing each other; they were dressed up in knightly attire with chainmail and cloaks- they looked positively idiotic but it made Gwen smile none the less. She didn't exactly approve of them going around acting like they were above it all, but whatever made Elyan happy was good enough for her. She slipped it underneath his pillow once more then immediately collapsed onto her bed again, deciding she definitely wasn't ready to get up this early.

\- * -


	3. Drunken memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur decides to do something about his rising crush. It isn't necessarily helpful to him though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! i broke my phone and had to get it fixed so this chapters kind of late- sorry! also schools starting again for me tomorrow so i may be a bit late a lot more often now...

Merlin ran his hands down Arthur hips, lightly touching the edges of his shirt. The smirk on his face was unmistakably condescending and coming closer with every breath from Arthur's flustered body. Soon, their lips were almost touching, barely brushing past each other. Arthur's entire body felt like it was going to set on fire, his face red and arms shaking slightly as he tried and failed to keep contact with the azure eyes staring into his soul. Suddenly he was being pulled towards Merlin’s pink lips, his eyes widening and heart beating out of control- 

Arthur awoke with a start and Merlin Ambrosius on his mind. It had been almost a week since the incident and he hadn't seen him or Lancelot since! Yet it was all he thought about. Constantly during meetings he would fall out of focus and was soon rendered completely useless. The Knights were sure to have been conspiring on what was causing it, but Arthur found he didn't care. Because there was nothing to find out.  
Obviously, the only reason he spent 99% of his time awake pondering about Merlin (and time asleep dreaming about him) was because he was so eager for revenge. Obviously. How on earth was he to approach the fiend with no input whatsoever? Oh yes. Arthur did sometimes forget the perks of leading the Knights of the Round Table. Namely: Leon. 

\- * -

"Where the hell is it!?" Leon shouted, throwing his side of the dorm into an anger fuelled disarray. Percival poked his head out of the make-shift barricade he formed of pillows as protection against Leon's frantic 'searching'; during which he had a tendency to throw large heavy things backwards towards Percival, hence the barrier. He spoke above the frequent growling, "I think maybe you should look for this textbook later you know?"  
He was immediately smacked in the face by a pair of flying platform boots.  
"JUST SHUT UP DON'T THINK DON'T SPEAK DON'T BREATHE JUST LET ME SEARCH!" Leon threw his hands to his hair, pulling at his scalp with an exasperated exhale. Arthur had not been expecting to hear that and was now slightly concerned for Percival’s safety. He seriously considered turning right back around and heading back to his dorm, but he was simultaneously plagued by pictures of that Merlin again and decided he needed this. Leon and Percival’s heads both turned towards the door when they heard the knock. Now really wasn't a good time but seeing as they weren't expecting company, there had to be a reason for someone to visit.  
"Just a minute!" Arthur heard Leon shout in stark contrast to the chaos from only minutes ago. It had taken a while for Percival to then open the door, and Arthur didn't even want to know what the hell had been happening before that. Percival, however, was shocked to see their overseer at their door and stuttered a bit before calling back at Leon-who was a bit of a mess at this time- "A-Arthur's here..."  
Arthur himself tried to look over his shoulder, but Percival was doing a very good job of blocking his view: "So what brings you here?" Percival half shouted, failing miserably at covering the loud ruckus behind him.  
"I just needed to talk to Leon actually- what's going on in there?"  
"Oh! That yes... basically nothing at the moment, we were just um- tidying! Yeah, tidying and then you appeared and now-" He raised his voice so Leon could hear him, "-I'm just letting you in"  
The curly haired man threw the bundle of items in his arms behind the dresser and leapt onto his bed as Arthur walked in only a little bit terrified. Leon sat on the bed with a smile on his face, acting like he hadn't been in literal chaos a moment ago, "Hey Arthur! What's up?"  
"I have somewhat of a... favour to ask."  
Leon leaned forwards with a questioning pout, "What is the nature of this favour?"  
"Well, you know... um the... thing that kind of happened... i-in the bathrooms last week,"  
"Yes of course,"  
"I basically need you to do a background check of sorts-"  
"Ha! Say no more!"  
In under 10 minutes, Leon had his laptop out and was in the middle of easily accessing the school records and encrypted files. When he entered the principal's login and password, Arthur and Percival’s mouths fell open, Percival staring at him incredulous, "How the hell do you know that!?"  
"Mr Iseldir literally keeps his passwords on a neon sticky note underneath his desk- if anything it was asking to be stolen."  
Arthur had a lot more questions (such as how he got into his office in the first place???) but he assumed Leon’s methods weren't as important as the outcome. Soon enough, they had an expanse of files that held information about every single student in Camelot before them. Leon spread his arms out with a smirk on his face, "Welcome to the database boys!"  
"Jesus Christ- what kind of material have we got here?" Percival asked, scrolling through the PDFs.  
"Names, nationalities, timetables, dorm arrangements- basically everything except addresses and other personal info that isn't directly related to the university."  
Arthur's eyes widened, "Leon this is perfect, find Merlin’s profile, quick!"  
"Alright sonic, slow down!"  
In truth, Arthur was undeniably in love with every aspect of Merlin and still refusing to admit it. In truth, Arthur really, really wanted to see his face, even if it was a shitty passport-type photo. In truth, Arthur was doing a terrible job of pretending not to like Merlin- especially after sighing slightly when Leon finally found his profile. This action drew concerned looks from both Percival and Leon, before he quickly gained his composure and assumed his more stoic and leader-esque persona.  
"Print all of it, especially the time table and dorm number. Now we have the upper hand."

\- * -

Later that night, it really didn't look like they did. Arthur and Gwaine were in Arthur's dorm, drinking like there was no tomorrow. When Gwaine had called him up earlier that day on his way back from a engineering lecture, asking if he wanted to have a 'fun time' that night- he'd immediately agreed wanting any excuse to rid his head of his thoughts; albeit only for a short time. It was already 10pm and they'd spent a full 2 hours lounging, whilst acting like lunatics. Arthur and Gwaine had met in their first years at Camelot, before the Knights of the Round Table had been formed. Gwaine had been exactly the type of person Arthur gravitated to: Smiley, Extroverted and Funny. And in Gwaine's case he had thought Arthur would be much too stuck-up and spoilt for them to ever get along. But Arthur had drawn to him like a magnet and on that first day, when they had found each other stalking around campus after hours- both for different reasons- and had been forced to hide in a bush together then escape as though their lives depended on that moment, it showed Gwaine that Arthur had problems of his own. And it showed Arthur that Gwaine could run really fast. Either way, even if they couldn't share a dorm, because of Uther Pendragon’s interference in Arthur's life, they were inseparable. Unfortunately for Gwaine, however, the conversation was inexplicably drawn back to Merlin and Lancelot.  
Gwaine hiccupped and fell backwards into Arthur's couch "That was so bad, like so so so bad like wow it was so... bad!"  
"I know! That Lancelot or whatever was so colourful, his eyes were colourful and even his clothes were colourful,"  
"Ugh stop talking about how colourful he was it's giving me a headache"  
"Who on earth was Merlin though? I've never ever ever seen him before around here. Maybe he's keeping a low profile or something."  
Gwaine suddenly became more withdrawn and didn't reply. Even in his drunken state, remembering Merlin still brought back bitter memories, and he'd rather not talk about him when he was sure to let something he would regret go.  
"Gwaine?" Arthur noticed the pause. "Yeah? sorry I'm really out of it right now,"  
"I didn't realise you were such a light-weight," he laughed in spite of himself, "Leon dug up some documents or something about Merlin and Lancelot today, it was like... hacking!"  
Gwaine became almost immediately aware of where the conversation was headed. What if they realised that he and Merlin had come from the same school? Wouldn't they ask why he hadn't said anything? What did the files even say? How would he cope if they found out about-  
"I've got to go," Gwaine abruptly stood up, instantly feeling lightheaded, before kind of waddling towards Arthur's door.  
"Oh... well ok. Bye I guess?" He called out half-heartedly, but Gwaine was already out of the door.  
Maybe later Arthur would think over what had happened and why his best friend was undeniably hiding something from him, but at the time he was thinking about how much he needed to throw up the contents of his stomach and instead, ran to the bathroom. Even after his body's attempt at getting rid of the alcohol in his system- he was still extremely drunk. Now, as it's known: everyone's different. Everyone's bodies react to things in different ways and, therefore, everyone's brains are affected by alcohol in different ways. For some people, alcohol specifically targets the rational, decision making parts their mind; leaving them only able to grasp at their emotions as guidance in the haze that is intoxication. Unfortunately for Arthur...

he just happened to be one of those people.


	4. Arthur's mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur realises his mistake, Merlin suffers some of the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this is chapter 4, i'm tryna increase chapter length if y'all can tell- hopefully like 2,500 ish per chapter (maybe)

''ᴰᵉᵃʳ ᴹᵉʳˡⁱⁿ ᴬᵐᵇʳᵉᵒˢᵘⁱˢ, ᴵ ʳᵉᵃˡʸ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ, ʸᵒᵘ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᵐᵉ ˢᵒ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ʰᵃᵖᵖʸ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ʲᵘˢᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵏⁱˢˢ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᶠᵃᶜᵉ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ. ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᵇᵉᵘᵃⁱᵗᶠᵘˡ ᵒᶠ ᵃˡˡ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ ⁱ ʷᵃᵏᵉ ᵘᵖ ᵃⁿᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃˡˡ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ᵐⁱⁿᵈ. ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰ ʸᵒᵘ ᵐᵃʸ ʰᵃᵗᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ. ᶜᵒᵐᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵐʸ ᵈᵒʳᵐ ʳᵒᵒᵐ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢʳ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ''

Merlin's mouth fell open. He had woken up that morning expecting anything but that note. It had been printed on an A4 sheet of paper and slipped underneath the door at some point that night. He stumbled over to Lancelot who was enjoying his sleep very much and wasn't very happy to be woken up by Merlin shaking his shoulders violently.  
"Oh my god Merlin you've got to be kidding me what time even is it right now how dare you disturb my beauty sleep like that-"  
Merlin shoved the note into his face and he blinked twice groggily before reading through it. Lancelot's eyes widened in horror as his mouth opened to talk and no words came out.  
Merlin nodded, "My reaction exactly"  
"W-who?" Lancelot whispered, barely comprehending the idea that someone sent a LOVE LETTER to the moody, introverted and terribly rude man in front of him.  
"I have. No. Idea."  
"Well we need to look at it properly! There could be clues or something in the writing?"  
"Lance it was printed out and whoever wrote it must have been completely wasted- I mean listen to this: 'i just want to kiss your face a lot'. Does that sound like an adult in their right mind?"  
"No... but it doesn't show they didn't mean it! SOMEONE'S GOT A CRUSH ON YOU MERLIN SOMEONE WANTS TO BE YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER JESUS THIS IS AMAZING MERLIN NOW YOU'LL BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE LOVE FOR ONCE!" Merlin himself was blushing profusely and very irritated by the fact he had no control over how heated his face was becoming. "I'm not even looking for a relationship right now! I don't even know who they are- I might even not like them!"  
"But what if they're like a super hot guy with literally rippling abs and hair that's luscious and large soft hands..."  
Merlin rolled his eyes, "I think you're just describing your dream gu-"  
"Or if they're like a super cute girl with like big brown eyes and long dark hair and really nice golden glasses and-"  
"LANCELOT I GET IT" Merlin exclaimed letting out a tired sigh and staring at the letter once again.  
"We should probably make a journal of findings and stuff so we can figure out which dumbass sent this in the first place"  
"You're a bit late, darling" Lancelot replied already holding a small yellow notebook and a biro in his hands. "I've already thought of a list of suspects!" 

_ * _

Arthur woke up at 12pm hungover as hell and with no recollection of the night's events. As soon as Gwaine left his memories blurred into each other and stopped making sense; he had a vague recollection of Gwaine leaving his dorm very abruptly with no explanation as to why, so that needed to be addressed. Somehow he wasn't even in his bed when he came into consciousness. The door was unlocked but shut which definitely meant he went somewhere- a slightly disconcerting thought. Arthur attempted to stand up but his headache made it feel like his brain was going to pour out of his ears. Eventually he gained the strength to haul his limp body off of the floor and notice that his laptop had been left on, "Shit, I need that today it's probably about to die" He muttered walking towards it. However when he reached the computer, the blood drained from his face and he was certain he began to have heart palpitations. Because a word document containing quite an embarrassing love confession was open and a notification on the bottom right of the screen said: [Document printed, 1:38AM].

_ * _ 

By the time Arthur had reached Merlin and Lancelot's dorm room, his panic was at an all time high. He thought about telling Gwaine but he was sure this was just a one-off and there was definitely no need. He could sort this on his own. Well at least that's what he was telling himself as he pressed the side of his face to the door and tried to listen for voices.  
"I'm not sure if... who would be so stupid... how wasted..."  
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck" Arthur whispered slumping against the door, 2 seconds away from a mental breakdown. They had the letter. They were going to find out and Merlin was going to tell everyone and break his heart because why the hell would he like him back? His reputation would be ruined, he'd end up moving to a university far away from here and he'd lose all his friends and then he'd somehow end up on the streets as a beggar asking for money because that's normally how things turn out when you become a SOCIAL OUTCAST-  
"Um, Arthur?" Guinevere poked her head around the corner of the corridor to see something very strange for reasons such as:

1\. Arthur was crying.

2\. Arthur Pendragon was crying, with his back against Merlin and Lancelot's dorm room.

3\. He was wearing yellow sliders that were painfully ugly.

She had been on her way to see Merlin and Lancelot as they had called her and said the situation was 'urgent'. She hadn't been on her way to see Arthur reduced to a sobbing child.  
"Oh u-uh hi, I'm just- I was just going to um head back to... Mrs Grunhilda's lecture and I got-got lost?" He looked up at her with puffy red eyes and she couldn't help but feel like she was obliged to comfort him. Gwen had always been a bit of a mom friend, "Are you ok? I'm not an expert on these things but Merlin does happen to be in the room behind you and I know he has to go in 2 minutes"  
Arthur snapped to attention quickly scrambling to his feet and heading down the corridor past her. "Arthur wait!" He stopped and turned around to look at her, frantically wiping his eyes. "You didn't say if you were ok or not?" 

Gwen had never been in Arthur's dorm before. It looked to be the largest on campus (obviously) and it was very very messy. Like a bombshell had dropped and it had been abandoned since 1932. "I'm sorry about this," He gestured outwards addressing the room, "It was tidy before but I- uh basically made a really big mistake yesterday night..."  
"Oh I don't mind, Elyan's worse anyway"  
Arthur, remembering that Guinevere was Elyan's sister (took him long enough) and feeling a lot more secure in her company, turned to her on the bed before suddenly collapsing into her arms. She was definitely not used to Arthur being so vulnerable and open especially in her lap.  
"I'm a little bit in... love with M-Merlin"  
Gwen froze. This wasn't... at all what she anticipated, "I know. It's ridiculous... And so embarrassing. I thought I could just pretend it wasn't real but after sending the message I've rationally decided that burying feelings isn't the best idea"  
"Why would you tell me of all people? We haven't spoke since first year" She said despite running her hands through his hair in a way that was apparently soothing. "I still feel like I can trust you. You've always been trustworthy. And you look good as well. Not like that though. I mean you look good-hearted. Not that I would know but..."  
"You're rambling Arthur, how... how did it happen?"  
"Well there was this thing that-that happened like a week or something ago."  
"Yes the fight in the bathroom I... was told"  
"By who!? I thought only the Knights knew! Is it a rumour!? How many people know-"  
"Merlin told me! I'm-I'm his friend?" She said changing her statement to a question to hopefully soften the blow. Arthur lifted his head up and grabbed her shoulders, his eye's sparkling with glee.  
"That's AMAZING! You can tell me what he likes! You can tell me what he dislikes! The best way to seduce him!"  
"Uh I guess? Though I don't think seduction should be the anywhere on that list at the moment. Either way, what does this have to do with sitting outside Merlin's dorm room?"  
"About that..."

When Arthur showed Gwen the message she burst out laughing uncontrollably until he told her he'd given it to him.  
"You WHAT!?"  
"I was drunk! Like totally gone! I didn't even know I'd done it till this morning!"  
That explains the urgent meeting Merlin had texted her about. The urgent meeting she just now realised that she hadn't gone to.  
"Oh shoot I need to call Merlin"  
"What? Why? When?" Arthur's questions flew out of his mouth, he was exceptionally eager "Can you do it here? I'll be quiet I promise"  
God he's infatuated, Gwen thought but, in the end, decided it wouldn't do any harm to allow Arthur this liberty. "Fine then" She replied, pulling out her phone and pressing dial. Arthur went tense with anticipation, what would he sound like? Did he remember his voice properly anymore?  
"Gwen! You were supposed to be here ages ago!"  
Arthur pressed his ear to the speaker, eye's wide and alert.  
"Y-yes" Gwen said, stuttering as she tried to pull her phone away from him.  
"Yes! I had something to attend to- it doesn't matter now! Anyway what was the 'urgent meeting' about?" She asked, feigning innocence.  
"Jesus not that again- someone sent me... a- uh- love letter or something"  
Arthur cringed, pulling his knees up to his chest.  
"What!? Show me now. Send a picture!" Gwen could be a good liar when she needed to be, "Who sent it?"  
"That's the thing we don't know. They said to 'come to their dorm room if i loved them back' but they didn't sign a name or a number or any clues to who they are, my verdict is that it's just a dumb fucking prank that some drunk assholes pulled but Lancelot refuses to let it go."  
Arthur pushed the phone away from them and whispered into her ear "Don't let him think that! This is the only, albeit stupid, step I've made towards him and I really don't want to start again" Guinevere rolled her eye's before talking into the phone once again,  
"Oh come on, you seriously believe that? Why would they be bothered to go all the way to your quarter if it's a just a prank, surely there are easier rooms to access?"  
"Yeah... I don't know Gwen. If I'm being honest? I'm not sure if I'll like them, whoever they are. I'm definitely not one for secrecy and if they really liked me then wouldn't they stop being a pussy and say it to my face?"  
Gwen turned to Arthur with an eyebrow raised. He shook his head at her frantically and she pursed her lips, "Merlin! All I'm saying is don't close your options so soon! For all you know they're just super shy or something and waiting for the right opportunity to sweep you off your feet!"  
"Oh come off it, I don't need you spurting romance bullshit as well- Lancelot’s already here for that." In the background of their call, Gwen could hear Lancelot loudly singing as many Disney love songs as possible. He had already gone through 'Tale as old a time' and even 'Can you feel the love tonight' (which Merlin found downright offensive being a #1 Lion King fan).  
"LANCELOT WHY ARE YOU SINGING LOUDER WE'LL GET REPORTED AGAIN" Merlin was shouting into the phone and Arthur was smiling as though he was in a trance. He really hoped one day he'd be the one being shouted at by Merlin; Lancelot was one lucky son of a bitch. He lunged to grab the phone from Gwen and put it to his ear again but she dodged him easily "Yeah it seems like you two have it under control, I'll be over later today and you can tell me all the details then, ok? Bye!!!" She said then swiftly cut the phone call.  
"You are awful you do know that?"  
"Merlin isn't awful..." Arthur replied, staring off into space with a longing expression; he was suffering withdrawal symptoms off of a drug called love.


	5. quick a.n

hi! i just started a new year in class and they're destroying us with homework so now i'm super behind on writing this- i'll be back with a new chapter by like next week or this week,

sorry!!!


	6. An idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen decides to actually help Arthur, Gwaine has a brief episode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi- its been a week oops, i just needed some angst to spice things up a bit so prepare yourself :p
> 
> EDIT: was just reading through this and realised how messy it is!!! D:

“It's not as though I'm obsessed or anything”,  
Arthur thought as he sat disheveled, in a flurry of papers that detailed things that either Gwen had told him about Merlin, or that he had stolen from the school files through Leon. Once she had left, the lovestruck prince had gone through it all feverishly. He didn't understand how he could develop such strong feelings so quickly, although it wasn't like they were proper feelings- you know? He evidently wasn't actually in love with Merlin; he just... had a very strong urge to see him again. For revenge. As you can see. The only reason he'd told Guinevere something that far fetched is because Arthur was (and is) admittedly emotionally volatile: hence the tears. Either way, Gwen could believe whatever she wanted, the plan was her idea after all.

_ * _

Arthur's only real goal was to see his not-crush for the first time in 2 weeks, so he could prove to not only himself, but also Gwen that he was definitely not in love with the dark-haired emo that haunted his dreams. He had tried to convince her that what he had said to her was a burst of insanity and she replied, and I quote, "You're an idiot but ok".  
Arthur took it as an insult, yet somehow she cut him off right in the middle of his offended gasp. In other news, Gwen had told him that he needed to first: create a distraction big enough that he could lose the Knights for at least 5 minutes, second: find Merlin and say whatever it was he felt he needed to say so desperately, and third: escape without suspicion. 

Basically, he had no chance. 

Unfortunately, Gwen was still the glowing aura of positivity Arthur remembered her to be and she texted him later that day asking him to meet her at cost-co. By the time Arthur reached the "secret" meet-up location that Gwen had called him to, she was already wondering whether he actually saw her message or not, because he had spent maybe an hour or so CHANGING into different clothes and attempting to disguise himself; she stared at him with raised eyebrows and he stared right back with a totally serious look on his face. He was wearing a long navy cloak that was maybe 2 sizes too big and a bright pink cap that sat offensively upon his head. His eyes were shielded by sunglasses that were somehow there to shield his poor eyes from the blinding rain.

"..."

"...Ok, Uh Arthur-"

Arthur slapped his hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her.

"You can't just call me by my name!"

Gwen shook him off angrily,  
"Are you kidding me, I had a whole introduction planned but whatever- Mordred you can come out now, this is Ar...chie.”  
Mordred wasn't actually hidden whatsoever, but he blended into the crowd so well that Gwen couldn't even tell where he was until he was directly in front of her. He had that kind of totally average and not significant look about him and the façade worked well. In his college, there was a girl that attempted to blackmail him with photoshopped picture of his nether regions and he had come right back at her, having stolen her phone, and posted every single one of her diary entries on an anonymous tumblr account. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly as underwhelming as he put himself out to be and he mysteriously stopped attending that school the month after.  
"So this is the guy, Gwen?"  
He scoffed, barely looking at Arthur; his voice had a rugged undertone that deeply unsettled Arthur. Gwen, however, seemed totally unfazed and smiled none the wiser.  
"Mordred! Long time no see, I hope you're doing ok?"  
She pulled him into a hug, while Arthur shifted awkwardly beside them. Mordred actually began to smile when Gwen hugged him and somehow it was a lot weirder then when he was blank.  
"Yes- yeah I'm doing great! I've missed you,"  
"Wait, Gwen you know him?"  
"Yes! You could say we're family friends- Arthur you should know him he's literally in your dorm block."

What.

"Oh yeah! I've seen you around!"  
He hadn't.  
"I wanted to talk but I wasn't sure about it.”  
He didn't.  
Mordred eyed him skeptically, and opened his mouth to call him out violently on how badly he was lying but Gwen quickly broke the tension by speaking up,  
"Um- Archie needs your help with something actually, Mordred!"  
He kept up the cold glare he was giving Arthur for a few more seconds before putting out his hand (much to Arthur's relief) and letting Arthur shake it happily. Gwen pulled a crumpled piece of paper containing Merlin's timetable for the next month from her pocket and handed it to Mordred. He read through the sheet, confused but willing.  
"What's this supposed to mean?" he asked, waving it around in front of them; Arthur leaned in closer towards him, 

“Well, do you happen to have any idea how to access the lights?"

_ * _

It was the morning before action.  
Before an idea that may very well get them suspended, and Arthur was having doubts: What if Mr Cenred realised he had never attended one of his classes before? What if Merlin just happened to not turn up and he ends up being forced to listen to a 2 hour lecture on combinatorics?  
He shuddered at the thought; either way it was much too late to back out now, Gwen had sent him the initiator and he was supposed to already be on his way to SR21. Arthur steadied his nerves and walked out of the door with a convincingly confident expression. 

It was time.

STAGE 1: THE KNIGHTS  
Anyone who had been at Camelot for more than 2 minutes knew that the Knights had every lesson together. The reason for this being to firstly: assert dominance over their peers, and to secondly: make university a little more bearable. This was possible because of Leon's unfiltered access to the headmasters system, a skill that he displayed endlessly and at every moment. So, a few days after he, Mordred and Gwen had met- he once again sought out Leon and explained to him that he really needed to go to an certain Math lecture the next week to help with his revision. Leon- ever oblivious- obliged, and thankfully didn't make the connection between it also being Merlin's lecture that day.  
If Arthur had tried to go on his own then he would have had 4 extremely nosy people on his case in seconds. They needed no suspicion whatsoever for this to work; in Arthur's opinion- he'd done pretty well!

STAGE 2: MERLIN  
They chose a very specific class, 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. This was one of the only courses Merlin had where Lancelot was not present, while Gwen was. Lancelot being there would only complicate things and make certain aspects of their ploy unfeasable. Also Mordred finds him intimidating. Gwen's only errand for the day was to keep Merlin out of the sight of the Knight's, then get him to the delivery point in time for Arthur to meet them there. Thanks to Mordred she already had a layout of the room and they were able to work out the timing to the second- what could go wrong? 

Plenty, apparently.

STAGE 3: A DISTRACTION  
Throughout this you may have been wondering, “Why the fuck is Mordred here then?” and to answer your question- you'd have to understand their requirements.  
They needed someone who would actually agree to help them.  
Someone who didn't know Merlin and wouldn't end up betraying their trust.  
Someone who they knew was a born technician.  
Someone who isn't afraid to get in trouble.  
Fortunately, Mordred passed every one of these requirements with flying colours; his task in the end, was to cut the power in only that room for as long as possible. Mordred was ecstatic to say the least; he had always loved chaos and at that time he’d been given the chance to literally derail an entire room full of people- hell, they had him at, “cut the lights”.  
Unable to resist, he also decided to add a few surprises to up the level of havoc he hoped to create- not even Gwen knew about this, he was always a bit mischievous. And it wouldn't ruin their plan anyway- it wasn't going to be that loud...

_ * _

He was crying. 

Again.

Sometimes he didn't even realise it until he could feel the prickling behind his eyelids. It was so hard to keep it together sometimes. Gwaine was happy- he was! But there was always the aching in his chest that clawed at his insides when he laughed and tried to enjoy himself. Percival had tried to help him and he only pushed him away. Constantly. Nothing was ever how he wanted- needed it to be. How was he supposed to move forward when his emotions only pulled him back? There was definitely something wrong. His soul longed for anything that would make it whole again. Yet, no one was good enough. None of them made him want to grab on and never let go. Except... no. They had always been off limits and everyone knew it. Gwaine had no chance with them. When he had first become friends with Arthur, there was something unspoken between them. The same something that made them so close, so brotherly. The unsaid promise of “I'll tell you everything”. 

But Gwaine had already broken it. 

Whenever he even thought of... of him, the pain was unbearable. He couldn't stand to face the fault in his actions, he couldn't stand to relive the pain on his face as he grew angry, his face becoming red where Gwaine had hit him. Hit him hard. When he smashed him across the face in retaliation, like always, Gwaine didn't even defend himself. He relished in the burning sensation of the alcohol rushing down his throat, making him numb. He wasn't addicted, no, but for now he needed it. Arthur would almost certainly bring up his swift departure and he knew he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. After all, it's the entire reason he even came to Albion in the first place. To leave it all behind, to move on. The Knights of the Round Table were the only people he felt like he could trust, they were the only thing he had that he couldn't ever bear to lose and nothing was going to break them apart.  
Not if he had anything to do with it.

Especially not Merlin.


	7. Bad idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is underway and from the start problems arise. Alternatively, Leon is soft.

Arthur was late. 1 minute and 27 seconds late to be exact. And Gwen was exact. He had better not have backed out, it was much too late for doubts at this point.

  
"Gwen? Aren't you going to come inside?"

  
Merlin stood by the entrance, holding the door open slightly and looking at her with a questioning stare. He pulled her out of her mild panic and she shook her head slightly before smiling and being led into the lecture hall. 'Whatever excuse Arthur plans to give for this fuck-up had better be godamn amazing', she thought, glancing around once more.

  
"God I hate maths"

  
Merlin's voice reminded her that she had to keep up her end no matter what, even if Arthur was being the most annoying, irritating person she had ever-

  
"Gwen?"

  
"Hm?"

  
"Where do you want to sit?"

  
"Oh! Goodness sorry I'm so tired right now, got barely any sleep last night working"

  
"Ugh I know right, let's sit over here"

  
Merlin pointed to a group of seats that hadn't been taken yet and Gwen panicked- those weren't the seats Mordred had allocated them.

  
"No!"

  
She straightened her blazer. Merlin watched her, understandably confused.

  
"I mean... No we can't sit there because... because the view isn't very good! Yes I really think we should sit over there-" Guinevere pointed to the correct area- "instead!"  
  
"Ok then... Are you sure you're fine Gwen? You're acting a bit... off"

  
"Yes! Yes of course just a bit tired you know?"

She replied ushering him towards where she pointed and throwing a thumbs up in the vague direction of the stage- where Mordred was hidden. Arthur needed to hurry the hell up.  
  
_ * _  
  
  
He had been sprinting towards the hall Gwen was screaming at him to get to but life had interfered and said 'Wait a second this is too easy' and now he was in a very very annoying conversation with Morgause- who quite obviously was looking to get with him. 

"Hey Arthur!"

She twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers and somehow hiked her checkered black skirt even higher.

  
_Shit._

"Hi Morgause"

Arthur grimaced, wondering how long it would take to get rid of her. He could already feel his phone vibrating- Gwaine, asking where he was. 

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come over to my dorm sometime"

She asked, through red, pouted lips,

"We could, I don't know... get to know each other better~"

Arthur cringed instinctively, he was sure whatever Morgause wanted him for would be the death of him; So he did try to politely decline as she lightly trailed her hands down his back. 

"Oh! Oh- I don't think I could actually, because I've been really busy recently and I actually have a lecture right now so I kind of need to go-" 

"But Arthur! Are you sure you couldn't... make space in your schedule~"

  
Her hands wandered downwards towards his hips and he jerked backwards, face completely red and started running down the corridor again.

  
"Nope sorry can't do anything about that see you later bye thanks!"

  
Morgause scowled, pulling out her phone to text Morgana.  
  
  
**morgause:** surprise surprise! he ran away, how am i suposed to get dirt on him when he isnt even interested!?!?!  
  
**morgana:** come on, dnt lose hope we still hve the rest of this year to get him, + the promise of 💸💸💸 should spur you on  
  
**morgause:** fine whtevs, it's your turn anyway  
  
**morgana:** 🤩🤩  
  
  
_ * _  
  
  
Leon and the Knights were becoming uncomfortable seeing as Arthur hadn't arrived yet. They could tell that people were already wondering why there were only 4 of them sitting down. Mr Cenred was stepping up to the podium and asking them all to settle down, so when Arthur burst through the doors- panting violently and completely dishevelled, every single person turned to look at him. Elyan face palmed.

  
"S-sorry I'm...-"

He breathed heavily-

"Late." 

Mr Cenred opened his mouth a couple of times before realising he didn't actually care where he had been and telling him to sit down quickly. Arthur caught Gwen’s eye only to see her staring daggers at him for being late. He could only smile and raise his shoulders as it wasn't his fault- it was Morgause's. Kind of. It didn't matter anyway because he was there now and they could finally get on with their spectacularly well planned and totally fool-proof scheme. Sadly, Mordred only had his cue for 30 minutes into the 2 hour lecture so they were forced to pretend to be interested in what turned out to be the most boring 30 minutes of Arthurs entire life. Why on earth would anyone ever put themselves through the torture of taking Further Maths A-level? Why? He was starting to fall asleep and Gwaine, sitting beside him, woke him up (irritatingly) to remind him that he "needed this lecture or he would end up failing his assessment". Curse Gwaine and his stupid attention to detail, because now he had to not only keep his eye's open in the first place, but actually seem like he was totally concentrated on whatever Cenred was saying otherwise he could risk the Knights realising his lie.

  
Gwen didn't know how much time had passed because this was a strictly no-phones class and no one had a watch now-a-days, so for whatever reason she was just as surprised when the lights went out and a fucking piercing, blood curdling, going-to-haunt-your-nightmares scream sounded throughout the entire hall. If the lights weren't enough then that certainly did it because all hell broke loose as soon as it did. She was so going to literally kill Mordred after this; but for the time being- Merlin needed to get to Arthur.  
  
"Holy fucking shit what the mother-fucking heckiddy frick fuck was that bullshit."

Merlin's sardonic tone was enough to make her grab his arm a little more forcefully then needed and pull him past the aisles.  
  
"Gwen! Gwen where are we going what's happening?" 

"We need to get out of here! What if it's like a terrorist attack or something!?"

She replied, turning back to him and realising she actually couldn't see a thing and wasn't even looking at him.

  
"Oh come on that's probably not what's going on he-"

  
He was cut off as someone barrelled into the both of them from behind and sent them flying over the seats around them. Somewhere their teacher was attempting to get them to calm down and stop shouting and eventually he was cut off by something that sort of sounded like a chair being thrown in the direction of his speaking and him throwing himself to the ground to avoid it. So the wreaking mass havoc part of the plan was going swell. Mordred, still hidden behind the stage, was having the time of his life messing around with controls and wiring so that any lectures in that hall would automatically be ruined, Gwen and Merlin were only just getting up from the floor and Arthur was at the specified meeting place, having ditched the Knights and beginning to become anxious with every second. There were faint bars of light coming from the not totally opaque doors that no one could seem to locate that made it slightly easier to see something instead of nothing.  
  
"Gwen!? Are you ok? Who was that?"

Merlin shouted, now standing and looking around himself frantically.

  
"I'm fine, I'm fine! I just need to get my bag- I left it on the floor when the lights went out."

She explained, you know- like a liar.

  
"You go on, get to the doors and open them so everyone stops behaving like animals."

She didn't realise how insane half their classmates could be once there was no authoritative figure to stop them; or they just needed to be able to let loose once in a while- she was quite sure that George just broke the desk Mr Cenred was hiding under whilst screaming,

"WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW!?"

  
And George definitely wasn't the type to do that.

_ * _  
  
Gwaine, huddled behind a stack of upturned chairs with the Knights, had not been expecting this. Arthur had disappeared and Leon was becoming just a tad hysterical.

  
"GUYS ITS A TERRORIST ATTACK, I HEARD SOMEONE SAY IT"  
  
They all turned to look at him, blinking.

  
"WHY ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME, THAT PERSON THAT SCREAMED EARLIER WAS SHOT CAN'T YOU SEE!?"

  
They blinked again, slightly scared for Leon's mental state. Percival, having dealt with this many times, pulled Leon into a hug.  
"It's alright Leon this is totally fine" He murmured, looking to the Knights for support. They generally were this dysfunctional. Elyan voiced what they were all thinking,

"Where's Arthur though? When the lights went out we ended up here and now he's gone"

  
"He can definitely look after himself you know"

  
"Not if there's terrorists"

  
"THERE AREN'T TERRORISTS LEON"

  
"So you say..."

  
"We should go look for him"

  
"I don't know about that, what if he's looking for us?"

  
"If he is, how the hell would he find us in complete darkness"

  
"You really can't say anything Gwaine, you live under a rock- must be pretty dark there"

  
"Oh shut up"

  
"Guys guys, I think we should just get out of here before we end up being decapitated by George over there"

  
As if to prove his point, George himself runs past shouting 'DEMOCRACY IS DEAD' or something they weren't really paying attention.

  
"I agree with Elyan"

  
"Me too"

  
Even Leon seemed to be up for it, so they gathered themselves and headed towards where they thought the doors might be. Funnily enough, their judgement was correct, Arthur was, in fact, at the entrance. The only problem was that he was lying on the floor with a rather large bruise on his cheekbone. 

  
_ * _  
  


  
Arthur had been waiting ages. Didn't Gwen said he should only need to wait for like 2 minutes? It had been about 5 minutes since Mordred worked his magic and he was kind of surprised people were still shrieking and destroying the room. At this point he was quite sure that Mr Cenred was dead but that wasn't exactly their fault. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he saw a text from Gwen.  
  
  
_ He's there._  
  
  
And there he was. The love of his life. Arthur couldn't even deny it at that point. Not when the light from the translucent window of the door fell upon his face and made the dark stubble on his chin stand out. Not when his azure eye's flickered with rings of gold and his pupils contracted against the light. Not when his expression shifted from determined to irritated and his bow lips twisted into a scowl- well actually that part wasn't that good. Merlin.

  
"Oh. My. God. You have got to be kidding me."

  
Arthur was short-circuiting, in his memories Merlin wasn't this handsome and he was really struggling to comprehend what had changed. Unbeknownst to him, his body betrayed him and let his mouth fall open and arms go slack. Merlin either didn't notice or didn't care.

  
"You couldn't just leave me in peace, huh? Had to go and ruin my, although boring, extremely necessary lecture!"

  
_How did he know it was him? _

  
"Don't look so shocked it's obvious you did _this_-" Merlin gestured around himself wildly- "To get back at me for kicking your ass!"

_Oh he guessed._

  
Arthur wanted to tell him he was wrong. He wanted to run and hide. He wanted to tell him who really wrote the note. What he did not want however was for Gwaine and the Knights to appear behind him.

  
"ARTHUR!"

Gwaine shouted, running towards them. Merlin saw this and took it as another scheme.

  
"So you also brought back-up? I cannot believe what a clot pole-"

  
_'Clot pole?'_ Arthur thought.  
  
"-You are!"  
  
Arthur did try to step towards Merlin but ended up instead being punched in the jaw and sent to the floor.  
  
"Stay the fuck away Arthur- I shouldn't have to say it again"  
  
He saw Merlin angrily opening the door before letting his head fall to the ground beneath him. Gwaine ran up to Arthur and grabbed his shoulders, trying to get him to focus.

  
"Arthur! Arthur are you ok?"

  
"Fine thanks!" He replied then promptly fainted.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, iz me, im back thanks for 1000 hits (idk if thats a proper achievement but ok) and just to clarify  
1\. Arthur and morgana aren't siblings  
2\. Merlin has stubble that he cuts but doesn't shave- it's not discrete or anything  
3\. Yes Leon is a bit OOC sorrey


End file.
